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Cyber Attack Strikes FreedomWorks

A mysterious cyber attack apparently struck the computer servers at the pro-tea party group FreedomWorks this morning, just as it launched a major fund-raising drive.

FreedomWorks officials are investigating, but they suspect they were attacked deliberately, perhaps by a political opponent seeking the thwart its fund-raising efforts.

The attack crippled the site at about 9:45 a.m. just when the fund-raising drive was publicized on the radio by conservative talk show host Glenn Beck. The group estimates it lost about $80,000 in potential donations as it struggled to bring its site back online.

An “autopsy” showed a highly sophisticated hacker struck at 6:55 a.m., the group said, setting the stage for the eventual meltdown. The server was wiped out, though group officials said no data was lost or stolen.

“We think the idea was to take our site down until after the election,” said Kara Pally, web developer for FreedomWorks. “This was politically motivated.”

The fund-raising “money bomb” set a goal of $200,000 to be raised before the Nov. 2 elections. Group officials say their web site could be a target for tea party opponents. FreedomWorks, headed by former House Majority Leader Dick Armey, has become a clearinghouse for the diffuse tea party movement.

“It’s like the tea party movement’s been hacked,” said the group’s spokesman, Adam Brandon. “To us, it’s no coincidence this happened the day our Beck money bomb was announced.”

Mr. Brandon said the group intended to alert law enforcement officials. He said it not yet clear whether the FreedomWorks site will remain live over the next two days as it is migrated to a new server.